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Our thanks to all the U3A members who
have so kindly contributed to this edition
of U3A Education Matters.
In this issue, with the help and
contribution of various U3As, we look at
different models of running the ever
popular Current Affairs courses.
Lyn Richards from U3A Nilumbik also
provides an inspiring account of the
course entitled Tuning in to Opera.
And we provide a brief introduction to the
enthusiastic members of the Network
Education Committee who are always on
the lookout for new or different ways of
helping U3As to further develop the
marvellous courses that our organisations
provide.
All of our contributors to this issue have
been generous enough to encourage you to
contact them to provide further advice or
information. We hope you will continue to
share your U3A course experiences and let
us know what topics you would like
included in future issues.
Anne Thompson Convener, Network Education Committee
Many U3As offer one or more Current Affairs courses and the longevity
of these programs within U3As is a clear indication of the passion that
course members have for them – and of the keen determination of our
U3A members to remain well informed of the changing world around us.
U3A Manningham, for example, has been conducting successful Current
Affairs courses for nearly 30 years. Margaret Scott-Cross been attending
her Current Affairs course at Manningham all of this time with some of
her friends being there for over a decade too. And this is not an unusual
example. To quote Professor Julius Sumner-Miller “Why is it so?” - that
Current Affairs members keep coming back for more?
To find out why these courses are so popular, six U3A Current Affairs
course facilitators kindly let us delve, question and observe the secrets of
their success. The objective was to try to capture some of their obviously
successful course presentation principles and the organisation that lay
behind them. We sat in on two Current Affairs classes at U3As
Manningham and Geelong and had long and informative telephone
conversations with Facilitators at U3As Werribee, Croydon, Casey and
Waverley. Some common success elements of their operations emerged.
The facilitators not only had familiarity or preparedness with the subject
matter, but they had also developed skills and experience in the
management of the class. We were impressed with the facilitators’ ability
to develop and maintain a culture of trust and respect within their group
even as they grappled with some contentious issues – asylum seekers,
euthanasia, same sex marriage. These lively and stimulating classes
included ground rules for effective discussion, an allowance for a wide
range of opinions, discussions centring around the topic rather than the
messenger, as well as supporting an individual’s contribution or
respecting a member’s silence.
It is probably not surprising that another significant feature of these very
successful groups was the positive working partnership between the
U3A’s course coordinator, the class facilitator, and the participants to
develop and evolve a format that suited each group.
It didn’t matter whether there were 52 or 12 attendees, whether people sat
around a table or around a room, whether a lot or a little was previously
researched by members, whether multi-media aids were used or not, these SEPTEMBER 2016
U3A Education Matters is published by the Network Education Committee, a committee of U3A Network Victoria
Contact [email protected]
Current Affairs – Nothing is off the table!
Current Affairs groups still rocked! Add in laughter and
sharing a convivial cuppa then you have the essential
ingredients for a group to run successfully and sustainably!
Now for the steak knives - the bonus from this exercise! All
the Current Affairs and Discussion Group facilitators
mentioned in this article have generously offered to support
any U3A interested in finding out more about their
resources, discussion management techniques, or how to
start a current affairs course. Each group has developed its
own unique approach and culture, Do talk to them. Their
contact point is through their U3As.
Our thanks to all the Current Affairs and Discussion Group
leaders who gave up their time and shared their experiences
with us in the cause of supporting other U3As. Thanks also
to those class members who allowed us to intrude into their
U3A Current Affairs lives. It was a stimulating and edifying
experience. We are still mulling over “The Plebiscite and
Section 18C” and “Organ Donation”! Healthy debate is well
and truly alive within our U3As.
PS. For anyone contemplating running a Current Affairs
course, we didn’t find one Facilitator who did not enjoy
taking these sessions!
CURRENT AFFAIRS
“It keeps rust off the neurons” - David Jenzs on why he
takes 3 classes per week of Current Affairs.
It’s a good idea if you’re in one of David’s Tuesday classes
to have watched Monday night’s ABC TV programs. You
settle down and watch the News, Australian Story, Four
Corners, Media Watch, Q & A finishing off with Lateline -
and a night cap! That’s David’s homework too, along with
keeping his finger on the pulse mining through internet sites
such as the BBC, reading newspapers and magazines. David
subscribes to the Economist and Time magazines which he
makes available to class members. In response to the
popularity of the course, David eased the pressure on the
waiting list by running two more courses. Lucky U3A
Manningham members!
A class representative takes responsibilities for the
attendance roll, notices and sending out any communication,
including cards to class members who may not be well or
have a special need of support. Like other Current Affairs
facilitators, David has backup from members of the group
who conduct the session should David need to be absent.
This allows for continuity and even succession planning.
Manningham U3A’s Code of Behaviour helps ensure an
environment for positive and inclusive discussions. Hearing
support aids are available to members. Occasionally a guest
speaker is invited to attend.
The 30 or so class members sit around the room, with David
at the front using a whiteboard when necessary. He starts the
discussion around one of the particular topics he’s chosen
with a short burst of information or a provocative question
and then lively interaction begins. Sometimes he injects a
statistic or fact into the discussion which allows the
conversation to be steered in another content direction or
throw light on a contested point. It was clear that there are
invisible rules in play such as only one person speaking at a
time, and those wanting a say putting up their hand.
David reflected that “having class members whose initial
home was overseas brought an extra dimension to the
discussion. These people often had a special interest and
background on a topic from their homeland that wasn’t
generally available to others”. In each session, facts from
external sources were enriched by the input of all members’
pertinent personal experiences. To conclude the year, the
groups celebrate with an end of year function
Members had an opportunity to share other relevant
information with the group too e.g. a notice about the piano
competition being broadcast that week.
U3A Manningham is lucky to be co-located with the Pines
Shopping Centre site allowing the Current Affairs classes to
congregate there for a post Current Affairs debrief, catch up
over coffee.
Our time with the generous members of David’s classes
confirmed the value, worth and fun of a Current Affairs
class!
Peter Fleming is the facilitator for two Current Affairs courses at Casey U3A, each with two tutors which covers illness, holidays, etc. The tutors have very different backgrounds, but similar values.
CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR ENQUIRING MINDS
Class size: 20 – 30 Meetings: Weekly Duration: One hour Venue: Fiddlers Green Retirement Village
U3A Manningham Facilitator: David Jensz
Phone: 9894 5955
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.u3amanningham.org.au
Class size: 35 – 40
Meetings: 3 classes weekly
Duration: One and a half hours
Venue: The Pines Learning & Activity Centre
U3A Casey Facilitator: Peter Fleming
Phone: 9769 9732
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.caseyu3anet.org.au
There is no agenda for the classes and usually no guest
presenter. Peter says the class starts with the question “What
has happened this week?” and they go from there. He says
that there are many who contribute and quite a few silent
(but interested) members.
Local, state and national politics are the class’s staple,
always probe for motives and explanations, and, although
different political views are held, there is always pleasant
and respectful discussion. Before the election the class had
the local Labor and LNP candidates to speak and they
were respectfully grilled.
The class also discusses international affairs and religious and scientific matters, (inventions, health, climate change, etc.) and economic events. The time goes very quickly. Class rules are simple, namely (1) respect everyone’s contribution, (2) nothing is off the table (sex, religion, sport, politics.), (3) one person at a time.
COFFEE AND DISCUSSION FOR
ENQUIRING MINDS Class size: 15 Meetings: Fortnightly Duration: Two hours
Venue: Lord Casey’s lounge room at Edrington Park
To provide a forum for discussing Current Affairs topics in
greater depth, Casey U3A initiated a new group, limited to
15, to consider one topic for two hours (with a break for
coffee and a stretch of the legs and a chat) once a fortnight.
The group chooses the subject and members have to do the
research, rarely calling in an expert. No topic is off the table
and the rules are the same as for Current Affairs For
Enquiring Minds.
The class has tackled difficult topics such as Euthanasia,
Good and Evil, Reality, the Brain, Science and Religion,
ISIS and Terrorism, Family Violence, Criminal Justice, AI
and Robots and Peter avers that there has never been an
argument, only discussion.
This was so successful that this year two of these classes
will be conducted.
U3A Casey Current for enquiring minds – and coffee.
Front Jan Whitaker, Anna Finikiotou, Margaret Edwards,
Hermoine Berton, Lindsay Taylor.
Back Lynne MacDonald, Glo Edkins, Ian Green, Jean
Tansey, Peter Fleming, Colin Whitney
Photographer: Phillip Rocke
LET’S TALK ABOUT THAT
The two hours in Audrey’s discussion group “Let’s talk
about that” just flew! And no wonder - the topics for
discussion were “Organ donation”, the “Same sex
plebiscite” and “Should we bring back National Service?”
The course is conducted at U3A Geelong’s headquarters in
the historic Cobbin Farm in a room big enough for eight
members to sit around the two tables. Audrey’s role is class
administrator and facilitator tasked with maintaining the
flow of conversation. Her input into the discussion is timely
and appropriate.
The member who suggests the topic then starts the ball
rolling by speaking first. We heard Betty Harper present
some background information (and a brochure on organ
donation) after which each class member in turn had two
minutes to add to the topic. With the topics being so
interesting it would be easy for members to get carried away
and dominate the exchange. This doesn’t happen because
the group observes the “2-minute rule” aided by Audrey’s
buzzer. You’d be surprised how quickly that “ting” sound
came around when there was so much you wanted to say on
a topic! However, the buzzer was a most effective boundary
umpire - to be recommended! After each 2 minute
contribution there was free discussion with Audrey keeping
her practised eye on the time to ensure that all the topics
could be covered in the afternoon.
The vigilant buzzer
Time out was called between topics 1 and 2 for a cup of tea
and stretch of the legs. Post break, Rex Davies led the group
on the plebiscite on same sex marriage followed by Cheril
Quigley’s introduction into the idea of bringing back
National Service. You’d be surprised to know which topic
generated the widest divergence of views - all expressed
with respect! The session ended with the choosing of the
U3A Geelong Facilitator: Audrey Colla
Phone: 52445114
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.u3ageelong.org.au
Class size: 8
Meetings: Weekly
Duration: One hour
Venue: Cobbin Farm, Grovedale
following week’s topics which in this case were “Women’s
sport should have equal the status to men’s sport”, “Does the
media misinterpret reality?” and “What is the value of the
census?” Meaty topics! So ended a really brain stimulating
session with this observer wanting to come back for more!
U3A Geelong’s Discussion Group “Let’s talk about that”.
L- R Marnie Maxwell, Cheril Quigley, Betty Harper, Dennis
Keay, Cheryl Hipkin, Rex Davies, Carmel Lehtola.
Standing: Audrey Colla, Class Facilitator
CURRENT AFFAIRS
U3A Waverley, formally U3A Monash, is one of the four
oldest U3As in Victoria, nay, Australia, having been
operating for 30 years and for 25 of those years it has had a
Current Affairs course! As the Facilitator, Peter Mitchell
said “it’s been going forever!”
Not only is it one of the longest running Current Affairs
courses but it probably is also the largest Current Affair’s
sized class – 50 members! 18 months ago Peter took over
the facilitation of this course and has worked with an
organizational model built on Waverley’s past Current
Affairs experience.
Out of a list of about a dozen member speakers on a roster,
two each session are the responsible co-presenters for
running the topic. Prior to their session they liaise with each
other as to what topics will be covered from a list of subjects
from Peter. Peter acts the facilitator, standby presenter,
mentor to the panellists and recruiter of new speakers. There
is flexibility in this format that takes the pressure off all
speakers when there are unplanned absences, holidays etc.
As a warm up to the session Peter begins with a joke and
some background that to the topics that sets the scene. With
people already engaged, the first co-presenter takes over and
introduces the first topic. Discussion on that topic is
followed by a 15-minute break, then the second presenter
leads the discussion on the second topic. Peter can act as
“stirrer” often playing the Devil’s Advocate pulling people
out of their thought comfort zone. Comments like “I hadn’t
thought of that” are indicators of involvement and
engagement.
Peter, as Chair, is quietly in control to ensure that all have an
opportunity to speak and to encourage the quieter ones that
need to be passionate on the topic to speak out. He says it is
important to be aware of the overly passionate and try not to
lose control of the flow – and knowing when to pull the
plug. Ramblers are managed, if not, as Peter suggests, they
can sneak up on you!
Guest speakers are scheduled into the program twice per
term. “Security in Old Age” was presented by a member of
the Police Force and a presentation given on “Cyber Theft”.
Peter has developed some class guidelines that he discusses
with his team of presenters to ensure that the sessions run
smoothly.
CURRENT AFFAIRS
John Penwill aims to ensure that class members participate
in lively discussion and debate on a wide range of
international and local events and issues in a friendly
atmosphere. Different perspectives and views are
encouraged and analysed. Members are welcome to enrol
during the year and wait-listed if enrolments exceed 25.
This class is held in a big hall but an intimate atmosphere is
created by having the chairs in the round.
John is remarkably thorough in his research of topics,
combing through newspapers, the web, podcasts, magazines,
television programs, radio, talks such as those provided by
the Wheeler Centre, and so on. No wonder his class is so
well informed.
CURRENT AFFAIRS
U3A Waverley Facilitator: Peter Mitchell
Phone: 9832 5855
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.u3awaverley.org.au
Class size: 50
Meetings: Weekly
Duration: One and a half hours
Venue: Batesford Community Hub
U3A Croydon Facilitator: John Penwill
Phone: 9724 9544
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.u3acroydon.org.au
Class size: Max 25
Meetings: Weekly
Duration: One and a half hours
Venue: Cheong Park
U3A Werribee Facilitator: Tony Mason
Phone: 9395 1606
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.u3aawbee.net.au
Class size: 25
Meetings: Weekly
Duration: One and a half hours
Venue: Hoppers Crossing Sports Club
Since 2011 when Tony Mason retired at 77 he has been
conducting a weekly Current Affairs program with the
backup of two other members. Tony spends at least three
hours of research to prepare for each session. A guest
speaker is invited once per term. Laughter and a relaxed
atmosphere is an important part of the group’s culture. The
results are reflected in the good participation rate of the
group. One feature of Tony’s group is that $5.00 is collected
per term per member for tea and biscuits with any monies
left over going to charity.
The class discusses the usual diverse mix of subjects that
keep U3A members stimulated and informed: Port Arthur
remembered; Negative gearing; Manus Island to close?;
Submarines; Should we tax sugar?; Banks – should we have
a Royal Commission?; Chiropractic - pros and cons;
Superannuation; Political Donations; The Premier’s apology
to the Gay community; Assisted (end of life) suicide;
Everest – to climb or not to climb?; IVF for the over 40s;
The worldwide shift to the right; ISIS and European asylum
seekers; Should England do a BREXIT?
The guest speaker last term was Mr Steve Butyn, Principal
of Werribee Secondary College and Patron of U3A
Werribee. The subject was “Problems in Secondary
Education” which led to discussion of a number of
important topics including Australia’s descent on the OECD
league table; Gonski funding – is it working?; Safe Schools
(accommodating LGTBI’s); getting better teachers;
behaviour and discipline; Australia-wide curriculum. (Mr
Butyn has transformed his school from ordinary to excellent
and deserves the highest accolades from the community.)
The class is a very happy one. It occasionally schedules a
simply joyous subject and there is always a weekly joke
(always decent of course).
Joke of the term from Current Affairs: At the end of a
lecture on behavioural matters a psychiatrist was challenged
to differentiate involvement and commitment. He paused for
a moment; inspiration ensued and then he declared “Eggs
and Bacon explain it perfectly. With eggs a hen must be
involved but in bacon the pig is totally committed.”
U3A Nillumbik offers a course called Tuning in to Opera. It
was born in a conversation after another entirely unrelated
course (how often does this happen?) Chatting about an
opera performance we’d seen, I commented it would be
great to have a course on opera – and the others
enthusiastically suggested that my husband, Tom, and I offer
one. Having no relevant qualifications except a fascination
for opera, we realised the first challenge of such a course
would be resource-discovery and information sharing. So
our first task was to set up a website.
The curtain went up on our course with a brand new website
http://opera.prettyhill.org/ The class members were invited
to visit it to find our plans and also the resources it could
provide, so they were ready for discussion. Once under way,
the site has been the backbone of the course. Like any good
opera, the course has splendid dialog, great music, fine
Tuning in to opera
performances from all and no shortage of drama, and
everything we discussed and explored could be pursued
through information and links on the website.
And an email list for the class is all part of the website
approach – when the new page is up we can email everyone
to tell them to go there to prepare.
I’ve been amazed since at how surprised everyone has been
at our website work. It just seemed so obvious, since the
major challenge was sharing of information appropriately.
• Getting sometimes a lot of information out rapidly is
necessary for preparation on weekly topics and response
to discussions.
• Sharing especially this sort of multimedia information is
so hard by other means – time-consuming and
expensive if you rely on photocopying, and impossible
if you are trying to share video or audio information.
• The resources at least for this course are widely
available online, and a website would take members
directly to anywhere in the wonderful world of online
resources – opera company websites, reviews in press,
Wiki histories and information and all-importantly for
our topic, Youtube and other clips of performances.
• If we could present material via a website, it would
have vivid and immediate impact, with all the
dimensions whose combination makes opera exciting –
colour, production impact, images, sound, movement,
acting and singing.
• It could easily be kept current (with a bit of time from
the webmaster, Tom.) So new reviews of performances,
or news of upcoming Melbourne events could be up to
date. http://opera.prettyhill.org/whats_on.htm.
Once this experiment was working, we slowly realised how
especially appropriate website communication was for any
U3A group.
• Access to information this way is flexible, giving
members as much information as they want, when they
want it, when they have time to play on the site.
• Provision of information can be much less daunting
than long reading lists or in-class instructions. We could
put up resources as we or other class members
discovered them -
http://opera.prettyhill.org/resources.htm.
• Making that information available in the home is
desirable, so members whose mobility or resources may
be limited will not have to go to libraries or purchase
materials.
• And the site gives the group and the course a ‘home’ to
return to. Missed a session? It’s all up there on last
week’s page, with links to what was played and
discussed. http://opera.prettyhill.org/meeting_t3-3.htm.
Lose track of a composer discussed while you were
away? There’s a page with information and links about
that composer.
http://opera.prettyhill.org/composers.htm.
Our second surprise has been how often we’re told we must
be ‘tech experts’. We’re not, though we did have some
experience: Pretty well anyone can set up a basic website
now with free software, and it needn’t cost anything but
time thereafter.
So the challenge is less expertise than time. Don’t
underestimate the cost in time, far more time than
preparation of handouts would take, (since far more can be
offered) and far more time in layout, selection of material to
fit display space and structuring pages, especially in the
preparatory stages. It helps to share the task – I find and
prepare materials, Tom does the work of crafting pages,
fitting material to spaces, validating links. Once the site is
up, developing new pages is relatively quick – and hugely
enjoyable! – but it still takes time.
To set up a website, you need software to do it, basic skill
level to use it and a domain to put it on.
• There is a wide range of cheap or even free software!
If the U3A has a course on website creation,
coordinators could be helped to skill up to do this. Such
collaborative learning would be hugely helpful – as in
so many areas of tutoring, trial and error can be highly
painful!
• Domains are cheap. We host http://opera.prettyhill.org/
on our own domain because we have one (we’re both
semi-retired academics). But WordPress for example
will host for nothing or next to nothing
https://wordpress.org/about/ . U3A’s could of course
very easily make their sites available for coordinators –
but arguably should not do so, since they would have to
risk novices making very public problems for the
organisation. The risks would be substantial. They
would have to monitor material, to ensure they were
not hosting clumsy or, worse, offensive material,
legally dubious statements or plagiarised writing. But
as with all U3A efforts, this can be a collaborative
rather than a competitive challenge.
Lyn Richards, U3A Nillumbik.
Email: [email protected]
Our third Bizet session focussed on the final scene of Carmen, with links through to many performances and other murder scenes!
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Network Education
Committee: a Short History
or
How the Synchrotron Helped
Start the Network Education
Committee!
Back in 2011, U3A Seymour and District invited former
CSIRO scientist and founder of the Industrial Synchrotron
Round table, Professor Mike Murray, to be the guest speaker
at its monthly public Melting Pot series of lectures. The
topic was the Synchrotron. The audience included students
from Seymour College and members of the local
community.
Reflecting on this U3A community experience, Mike, who
was then also President of ANZAAS (Australian and New
Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science), saw
that there could be a useful learning partnership between the
two organisations – U3A and ANZAAS. Here was a vehicle
that had mutual educational interests. ANZAAS wanted to
support science education in the community and U3As were
keen for science knowledge. “U3As links to the wider
community and the younger generation would amplify
science experiences,” said Mike. This insight is up there
with the apple falling on Newton’s head, a “eureka” moment
for the U3A movement as it led to the formation of the
Network Education Committee.
A meeting with Network Executive was arranged out of
which the Network Education Committee was formed in
2012 with the task of supporting U3As’ educational
programs with a particular brief to work with Course Co-
ordinators. The rest is a continuing history!
Current Members of the Network Education Committee are:
Anne Thompson, Convenor
With education and learning at the heart of a U3A and my
professional life too, being able to support U3A programs
through the Network Education Committee was an
opportunity too good to miss. The bonus has been to work
with enthusiastic and likeminded individuals whose U3A
and life experiences have enriched our Committee’s work.
Dennis Atkin, Secretary
I joined the NEC in late 2015 after a double retirement –
first from teaching and administration and secondly from
other educational roles. After 4 years of retirement I realized
I was missing "feeling useful”. Just at that vulnerable
moment there was a pincer movement from former
colleagues Anne Thompson, Beryl Sim (U3A Manningham)
and Pam Murphy (U3A Waverley) and I found myself a
member of U3A Waverley Management Committee and the
Minute Secretary of the NEC! My lifelong interest from
university days in the Humanities is also being well catered
for in both U3A settings. I am looking forward to my third
retirement...retirement of the third age! (Ed. Not on my
watch!)
Leona Haintz
U3A is such a wonderful organisation especially my home
U3A - Deepdene, that I was only too happy to contribute at
the state level when invited. As a retired English teacher
with post-graduate qualifications in Special Education and
Migrant Teaching (TESL), I look forward to contributing
ideas and organisational skills in the dynamic atmosphere of
NEC meetings.
Peter Fleming
Why am I in the NEC? My background is as an educator
(Australia, Africa, USA). I am particularly interested in how
and why people learn, how our brains manage the world,
ourselves and their interactions. I run five courses at U3A
Casey and am always looking for new ways to make the
U3A experience meaningful and memorable for our
wonderful members
Neville Johnson
As a member of the U3A Network Education Committee, I
am committed to supporting my fellow U3A Members in
their learning. I believe passionately that as community
seniors we should never cease learning and to do this we
need a reason to learn. Attending U3A Manningham
provides the motivation to be lifelong learners. In my
previous life I worked in the education Faculty of the
University of Melbourne.
John Pinniger
Just ask a question about “Tutor Banks” to a NEC member
and the next thing you know, you’re a member of that
Committee! My U3A is Darebin where I am the President.
With the NEC it was an opportunity to contribute at a state
wide level to supporting U3As. My background is in science
education and student administration with a lot of
volunteering with heritage fruit tree conservation and
Tourism Victoria. U3A supports my belief in education and
in life long learning.
NEC members (L to R) Leona Haintz, Dennis Atkin, Anne Thompson, Neville Johnson, Peter Fleming, John Pinniger
